“Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink.” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge – The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The water companies are the least loved out of the privatised utilities, and the lack of rain over the past two winters is making their job much more difficult. For many people, it is hard …
Readers Question: Europe is in grip of real deflation and low growth period but then why Euro is on a rise In recent months, European inflation has fallen to 0.5%. In several countries within the Eurozone, countries are now experiencing actual deflation. In the past year, the Euro has appreciated against a basket of currencies, …
A look at the effects of how an over-valuation of the exchange rate can cause deflation. Readers Question: does an appreciation in the exchange rate cause deflation? An appreciation does tend to reduce inflationary pressures. This is because after after an appreciation in the exchange rate: Price of imports will fall, causing a fall in …
Readers Question Why is the forward guidance threshold set at 7% unemployment and how does this affect the threshold for inflation? The MPC have a remit to target inflation of CPI = 2% +/-1. But, the MPC also consider wider issues of economic growth and unemployment. UK Real GDP is still lower than the level …
Readers Question: How reliant is the UK economy on oil? There are two ways of considering this question – the consumption and production of oil. Firstly, how much does the UK need to consume oil to maintain economic activity? Could we survive in a post-oil economy? Secondly, how important is the UK oil industry and …
Readers Question: Hello I recently saw a programme How China Fooled the World – with Robert Peston and I was wondering what threats and opportunities does the growth of economies like China and India provide to the UK economy? According to the IMF, in 2010, the Chinese economy was $5,878 billion – second only to …
Here in Oxford, there is water everywhere. Yesterday, the main road into town (Abingdon Road) was closed due to flooding, and the cost to business and householders will be quite significant. There is a danger of even worse flooding to come. In one sense, it is an act of God. No one can do anything …
Just five years after the start of global credit crunch and the UK housing crash, it seems incongruous to be talking about another UK property bubble. It is a paradox that the UK has experienced five long years of recession – the worst decline in living standards in recent times, and yet, property prices still …